Combination knockdown structure



W. KOPP.

COMBINATJON KNOCKDOWN STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, I919. I 1 ,3 14,27 1. Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTQR fill/M142 0 .ATTORNEY COMBINATION KNOCKDOWN STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1919.

1,314,271. Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY W. KOPP COMBINATION'KNOCKDOWN STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION man MAR. 24. 191 9.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

I INVENTOR flz/zm K49 1!. ATTORNEY W. KOPP.

COMBINATION 'KNOCKDOWN STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1919. I

' Patented Aug. 26,1919.

* 131mm E INVENTOR ihlll'aw A pp mmxn ATTORNEY our TE s'rairas PATENT curios.

WILLIAM KOPP, or RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK.

COMBINATION KNOCKIDOWN STRUCTURE.

To all whom it may concern: I

siding at Richmond Hill, Queens county, 5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Knockdown Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in knockdown structures, the object being to provide a plurality of frame members, including uprights or posts, that can be assembled to form various structures, such as a desk and lockers in combination, lockers only, closets and lockers and booths, etc. One of the objects of my invention is to arrange a combination of elements, such as posts and frame-members that can be set up to form any of the abovenamed combina tions without resorting to hammering, or other noisy or complex operations. My improved structure could be set up in any finely appointed room, for bazaar purposes (for instance) without damaging highly polished floors or injuring rugs. I will now in detail describe my improved combination of parts and manner of assembling the same, the novel features of which I will finally claim. In connection with the description of the device reference will be had to the drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a front view, broken away, illustrating a combination of a counter or desk, shelves, and a closet;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating one manner of combining the posts with transverse frame-members or rails;

of the post members, a rail and brace as combined to form a desk or flat structure;

Fig. 4; is a cross sectional view, enlarged, taken on a line 44 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view, enlarged, the section being ta en on a line 55 in Fig. 1; Y

Fig, 6 is a section plan view, the section being taken on a line 66 in Fig. 1, the desk being omitted Fig. 7 is a top plan view, illustrating a booth;

Fig. 8 is an end View thereof;

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of'a 65 reducer and plug, respectively, forthe posts;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig, 3 is a similar view illustrating one Patented Aug. 26,1919.

Application filed March 24, 1919. Serial No. 284,805.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail view of one of the post-members;

Figs. 12 and 13 are perspective views of rail-members, which I may use;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail view, enlarged, illustrating, one of the post members, adjacent ends of rail-members, and a portion of a door;

Fig. 15 is a front view of the front postmem' ers, illustrating the opening for attaching a door;

Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view, the section, being taken on a line 1616 in Fig. 14;

Fig. 17 is an enlarged sectional view, the section being taken on a line 1717 in Fig. 14;;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary perspective skeletop view illustrating the manner of assembhng the members of the structure;

Fig. 19 is a detail plan view of a form of shelf plate; and

Fig. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the structure indicated in Fig. 1 more completely.

I To carry out my invention, I provide a plurality of post-members or uprights 21 which are arranged to be located at the front of the structure (see Fig. 20), a pinrality of similar tubular uprights 22 for the center of the structure, and a plurality of uprights 23 for the back of the structure. Each upright 21, 22 and 23 is relatively short, the length being about equal to the usual distance between the shelves of a cabinet, and is arranged to be superimposed upon a similar upright. In other words, a structure of any desired height can be formed by placing the required number of uprights end to end. To maintain the uprights assembled in this position, I provide blocks 24 (see Fig. 2) of suflicient'size to be inserted within the uprights. The blocks or connecting means 2% will maintain the posts or uprights rigidly connected and said uprights will withstand ordinary stresses. To divide the structure into a plurality of sections, so to speak, I provide transverse supporting braces 25 and similar braces 26 which are disposed longitudinally of the structure. The braces 25 and 26 are alike in structure and connect the uprights one to the other, said braces being located preferably at the joint '27, or meeting point of the uprights. These braces may be formed in a variety of styles, for instance as illustrated in Figs. and 4, such a structure being illustrated throughout the drawings, or as illus- 7 posts.

trated in Fig. 12. The form of the braces is immaterial so long as they. are arranged to support a shelf-plate, suchas is indicated by 28 (see Fig. 19). In any event, these braces 26, or the structure 29 in Fig. 12, will be provided at the ends with means to detachably secure the braces, at the ends, to the uprights. In this instance, the braces are provided with end plates 30, carrying. screws 31, to engage threaded openings32,

will term bracing-supports, I employ locking bars 33 which adjacent each end are provided with recesses 34 (one only being shown) to engage one Wall of the tubular To cause these bars to engage the posts, I provide said posts with slots 35 long enough to permit of the insertion of the ends of the bars 33. After the ends of the bars 33 have been inserted in the slots, they will be allowed to drop to cause the recesses 34 to engage the wall of the adjacent post. Gravity will maintain these bars in position. Each post or upright will be connected to another post by two of these bars, in this instance. Instead of providing the angular supporting braces 25 to connect .the posts transversely of the structure, I

- may provide fiat supporting braces 25 such as is illustrated in Fig. 13', and also illustrated in use in Fig.18. The ends of these flat braces will be provided with openings to aline with the openings in the end plate 30 of the braces, and hence can be secured by the same screws 31. After the braces and loeking-bars have been positioned, the structure will be divided into sections, which can be transformed into shelves, by placing the plates-28 upon the supporting braces, or into lockers by placing screens 3 6 (Fig. 20) into the (in this instance) square spaces formed by the cross supporting-braces and the uprights. The braces 25 and 2-6 will support either screens 36 or plates 28, as may be desirable. The screens can be placed horizontally and vertically, the vertical screens being held in any desirable manner. The horizontal screens will remain in position by gravity. The front uprights 21 will be provided with means for the attachment of a door. In this instance, I provide the said front posts or,

upper end.

uprights with openings 37 and communicat- 1ng slots 38 to receive bolts 39"to secure the hinges 40 of a door 41 to .said uprights (see Figs. 14, 15 and 16). To hang the door 41, the heads of the bolts 39 will be passed through the slots 37 the bolts will then be passed into the slots 38-. After the bolts have been passed into the slots 38, the hinges can be caused to engage the bolts, whereupon the nuts can be applied to the bolts. When a door is used, to provide a closet, the cross supporting braces and lock-- ing-bars will be omitted from this portion of the structure. The spaces above the door, at the rear and sides, will, however, be filled by screens or plates.

Fig. 1 illustrates a structure including a counter or desk. formed by utilizing the lower uprights only and covering the same by means. of the plates 28. In the event of utilizing the lower uprights, the open upper ends thereof will be provided with a filling-block 42 and cover-plate 43. These blocks will be used to fill the open ends of the uprights in any The desk or counter is event; or, in other words, in anystructure,

as the topmost post or upright of a plurality of superimposed posts will have an open To form a booth, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, I employ a suflicient number of members 21, 22 and 23, connect same by the braces 25 and 26, and locking-bars 33 and cover the tops thereof by means of the plates 28, the same as for'producing a counter or desk. In addition to these elements, I em ploy a railing indicated by B in Fig. 8, the railing consisting of standards 44 carrying a fitting 45 at the top thereof. The fitting will be connected by horizontal railing-members'46. To connect the standards to the'uper ends of the uprights 21, I employ reducmg bloc-ks 46 (see Fig. 9), which engage the upper end of the corner posts of the booth.

The-blocks 46 will each be provided with a socket 47 to receive the lower end ,(in this instance, the square lower end) of the standards 44. a

'It will be evident from the foregoing description that I am able to form a variety of structures by merely. assembling the parts to suit the structure to be formed. In other words, Ican form a counter or desk, abooth, a combination of a closet or closets, lockers and shelves, lockers only, or shelves only,

by merely assembling certain members of the combination.

To preventinjury to floors, rugs or the like, I provide the bottom post-members with bases 49, having a smooth under surface. If desirable, one of the sections, or spaces between the braces and posts, can be filled by drawers 50 (see Fig. 20).

Wherever in the specification and claims the word tubular is employed, same is understood to cover also an hollow structure, whether circular, square, hexagonal, etc.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a plurality, of relatively short tubular posts, a block" arranged to be removabl inserted in the end of one post to enter the adjacent end of a superimposed post, whereby said posts are held together, braces removably connected at the ends thereof to said posts, and locking means connecting said posts.

- 'flrTheoombination-of'a plurality of.relativelyshortztubular posts, a block arranged to be removabl inserted in the end of one post to enter t e ad'acent end of a superimposed, post, where y said posts are -held together,.braces connecting said posts and screws totsecuretthe-braces and postst0-..

gether, said screws passing through the add, jacent wall of its adjacent post, the inner endaIoft-said screws being located under and in contact with the adjacent end of the connecting blocks for the posts, whereby said blocks are prevented from dropping.

3. The combination of a plurality of carried by the posts, at their upper ends, to support fiat plates or the like, whereby the structure will'have a flat top, reducing blocks carriedby the posts at the upper ends thereof, each block being provided with a socket, a railing standard having its lower end inserted in the socket in the blocks carried by the corner posts of the structure, rails connecting said standards at their upper ends, and filling-blocks inserted in the upper end of all the remaining sts of the structure.

4. In a knoc -down structure, the combination of a plurality of tubular post-members, braces to releasably engage said postmembers, locking bars to also releasably engage said post-members, filling-blocks to be inserted in the open end of any of said posts, connecting blocks to connect any of said posts in superimposed position, vertically disposed filling plates or the like held between certain of the braces and posts to provide lockers or closets, a door, and means to releasably connect the door and certain of said osts.

5. Tn a knock doavn structure, the combination-ofa? plurality of tubular post-members, braces to releasably engage said postmembers, locking bars to also releasably engage said post-members, inserted in the open end of any of said posts, connecting blocks to connect any of said posts in superimposed disposed filling ,1 lates. or the like held. between certain o the braces! and posts, to provide lockers}. or closets, a door, means to releasably connect the door and certain of said posts, and plates arranged to be laid upon the said braces after the structure has been set up for use.

6. The combination of a plurality of releasably connected post-meinbers, braces releasably engaging .said posts, locking bars also releasably engaging said posts, and plates or panels to fill the spaces between said braces, said panels being releasably held in position, vertically disposed filling plates or the like held between certain of the braces and posts to provide lockers or closets.

Signed at New York city,'N. Y., the 22 day of March 1919.

WILLIAM KOPP. Witnesses:

MAURICE Broox, EnwnuonAr JARVIS.

filling blocks to be v position, vertically 

